Hakka the Aesling
Hakka the Aesling was a Chaos Champion of Khorne who hailed from the frozen land of Norsca. Overview A frenzied berserker by reputation, many foes had fallen to the whirlwind fury of his twin battle-axes, their skulls made to garland the Throne of Khorne. In the Year of the Crow, in the Sixth Reign of the Black Moon by the Norscan reckoning, Hakka emerged from Norsca, travelling eastwards towards the Kurgan lands and the dreaded city of Zanbaijin on the plateau of K'datha with his mighty warband of berserkers and bloody beasts to answer the call of war that no Northman, be they Aesling, Graeling or Varg, could deny; war at the pleasure of the Chaos Gods. With the call to war tugging at his mind and soul, the Norscan wasted no time in heeding the summons of his god. Feeling the breath of Chaos upon his nape and the promises of the gods ringing in his ear, Hakka, like many champions and warlords of the North, bestirred himself for battle. Zanbaijin -- the ancient city older than the race of Men itself, which had long served as an arena for the favoured champions of Chaos to prove themselves worthy of the favour of their masters. By the ancient traditions of the Norse, Kurgan and Hung, the victor of the great battle fought at Zanbaijin would become master of all the warbands he had vanquished. The fame of such a warlord would travel far in the northern wastes, drawing untold thousands to his war banner with the promise of glory and battle to come. Hakka was the first to arrive, battling his way from the maelstrom of conflict that had been ignited in Norsca by the call of the gods, as tribes began to rekindle their ancient rivalries and unpaid Wergilds in order to prove their might before the Dark Lords. He also slaughtered his way through the Kurgan tribes as he and his warband strove to reach K'datha. Then from the east and south rode Hakka's adversaries; Sargath of the Kurgan, champion of Slaanesh and Urak Soulbane, devotee of Tzeentch, respectively. The three armies, representing their very patron deities, came into battle with each-other. While the fury of Hakka and his berserkers was unmatched, it was countered by the sheer numbers of Sargath's host, who eagerly spitted themselves on the swords and axes of the Norsemen in unholy bliss, and by the powerful magics of Soulbane's acolytes. Thus, the three armies were locked in a bloody stalemate, while their masters looked on with interest from the realms beyond flesh. The coming of Tamurkhan, champion of Nurgle, broke this stalemate. For his army of plague-ridden wretches and savage beasts far outstripped the rival hosts of the other champions. The Plague Lord slew the vain Sargath, thus robbing Hakka the chance of slaying the preening dog. Bereft of leadership, the Kurgans found themselves hemmed on either side; to their front lay the hordes of Tamurkhan's pestilent followers, while to their back were the frenzied Aesling blood-worshippers, who brutally hacked down the feeble worshippers of Slaanesh with the unholy abandon of their race. After the plainsmen were slaughtered, Hakka marshalled his brethren to make their stand against the plagued horde, fully knowing their deaths were at hand, and thus commended their souls to Khorne; swearing to bring with them a handsome tally of skulls when Valkia came to shepherd them to the Blood God's Halls. Against the insurmountable fury of the Aesling Khorne-worshippers, the lines of the Children of Nurgle wavered and buckled. At first it seemed dangerously certain their front line would break against such power. The Aeslings slaughtered their foes in droves, dedicating each kill as a sacrifice to Khorne, and Hakka was in the throes of his berserker rage, slaughtering his foes with vicious abandon and roaring for Tamurkhan's head. The press of battle swept Hakka from his sword-brothers, however, and left him surrounded by the slaves of Nurgle. Though thousands fell to the whirlwind fury of his twin axes, not even a warrior such as Hakka could overcome such odds, and in the end, the Aesling Warlord was torn apart by four hulking Bile Trolls. In the aftermath of the battle, the remnants of Hakka's warriors reluctantly pledged themselves to Tamurkhan's war-banner, following the Kurgan warlord on his quest for the fabled Throne of Chaos. Sources * Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos (Forgeworld) pg. 8, 10, 13, 14 Category:Aeslings Category:Chaos Champions Category:Khorne Category:H Category:Norsca